Tribal Emergency Operations Center: 4.28.20 Update on COVID-19

Providing current news on the Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) to protect the safety and well-being of Tlingit & Haida's citizens, clients, employees and communities.

CONTACT:

Tribal Emergency Operations Center (TEOC)

907.463.7368 ∙ communications@ ccthita-nsn.gov

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 28, 2020

Tlingit & Haida is committed to providing current information on the Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic to ensure all tribal citizens remain informed and have the resources needed to stay safe. Below is a brief update from Tlingit & Haida’s Tribal Emergency Operations Center.

CASE COUNT UPDATE

Alaska Case Count Update:

The number of positive cases of COVID-19 in Alaska is currently 351 including 6 ne w cases as of April 27, 2020. Of these cases, 85 individuals had a recent history of travel and 266 were close contact, community or unknown. There has been a total of 228 statewide recoveries, 37 hospitalizations and 9 deaths.

If you think you have been exposed to COVID-19 and develop a fever and symptoms, such as cough or difficulty breathing, contact your local healthcare provider for medical advice.

Case Count by States with High Tribal Citizen Populations:

The following are statistics for California and Washington states where a large population of Tlingit & Haida's tribal citizens reside.

California*:

Total Confirmed Cases: 46,032
Total Deaths: 1,862

*Statistics reported as of 1:36 PM (PST) on April 28, 2020.

Washington*:

Total Confirmed Cases: 13,686
Total Deaths: 765

*Statistics reported are as of 11:59 PM (PST) on April 26, 2020.

United States COVID-19 Cases:

Total Confirmed: 1,010,717*
Total Recovered: 115,003*
Total Deaths: 58,365*
Jurisdictions reporting cases: 55 (50 states, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands)

*United States COVID-19 data is derived from an interactive dashboard developed by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at John Hopkins University that tracks the COVID-19 spread in

real-time. Data was pulled at 1:31:05 PM AKDT on April 28, 2020.

PREVENTION TIP

Timely Immunizations for Children is Important

Many parents have been hesitant to bring their children to the doctor for their wellness visits and immunizations during the Coronavirus pandemic, but it is extremely important that parents stay current on their children’s immunization schedule, especially for infants and younger children.

As many as 80% of American children are missing their doctor appointments due to the Coronavirus pandemic which means kids are missing out on their shots for measles, mumps, whooping cough and HPV. Child vaccination rates dropped at least 40% during the week of April 5 compared to February. This is a huge concern for pediatricians. If we don’t make sure that kids stay on schedule with their immunizations, we may be inadvertently creating another public health problem that is vaccine-preventable.

The number of kids overdue for their first dose of MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) is especially concerning. The vaccine rate has already dropped by 50%. MMR is a highly contagious disease and made a comeback in the U.S. hitting a 27-year high in 2019.

Although some health practices closed or weren’t scheduling well visits for children at the start of the Coronavirus pandemic, many have since made important accommodations to safely reopen.

SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC) is currently providing an off-site immunization and well-child check clinic in Sitka and a “drive-thru” alternative immunization site in Juneau. For more information, or to schedule an appointment with your local SEARHC clinic, visit https://searhc.org/locations .

RECENT NEWS & ALERTS

CDC Adds New Symptoms to Its List of Possible COVID-19 Signs – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expanded its list of possible symptoms of the virus to include: chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, and new loss of taste or smell. (The New York Times)
No Hard-and-Fast Deadline for Next Phase of Reopening Alaska’s Economy, Governor Says – Saying Alaska’s COVID-19 cases are sure to rise as some of the state’s businesses start reopening, Gov. Mike Dunleavy on Monday declined to set a date to open more. (Anchorage Daily News)
U.S. Coronavirus Cases Surpass 1 Million as Projections Show Deaths Could Rise in Coming Weeks – The grim milestone comes after seven Coronavirus models anticipate a rise in cases that will depend on how much "contact reduction" Americans practice, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. (CNN)
Juneau's Hospital Has Zero COVID-19 Cases Currently and No One Awaiting Test Results – There's very good news from Bartlett Regional Hospital in regard to COVID-19. (KINY)

COVID-19 RESOURCES

It is imperative that our tribal citizens continue to hunker down and shelter in place, follow federal, state, tribal and local health mandates, and stay informed on the COVID-19 pandemic to keep ourselves and our families safe.

Tlingit & Haida's Tribal Emergency Operations Center (TEOC)

The Tribal Emergency Operations Center (TEOC) was created to enable Tlingit & Haida to provide timely, integrated, and coordinated responses to the Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic that addresses the four phases of emergency management: mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery. The activation of the TEOC is not due to any identified cases within the Tribe. All actions are aimed at protecting the safety and well-being of Tlingit & Haida’s citizens, clients, employees and communities.